‘I’ve Already Out-Thought You’ – New Strawweight King Jarred Brooks Warns Potential Challengers

Newly crowned ONE Strawweight World Champion Jarred Brooks has never been one to mince words, and he won’t be changing that mindset anytime soon.

“The Monkey God” claimed the belt on December 2 when he dethroned Joshua Pacio in the main event of ONE 164 – a bout that came after months of trash talk aimed at the Filipino superstar.

Following their five-round battle, Brooks showed respect to the former World Champion, and the animosity between them was seemingly squashed.

But according to the American, all his pre-fight talk was simply part of a strategy – another weapon he used to gain the upper hand in a high-stakes World Title fight.

Brooks told ONEFC.com:

“You have to approach the fight game like it’s mental warfare and physical warfare. So yeah, it’s just a way of getting in your opponent’s head. And that’s how you win fights at the end of the day.” 

Now with 26 pounds of gold around his waist and a target on his back, the Mash Fight Team representative is ready to ramp up the mental warfare once again.

To that end, Brooks has a message for the strawweight MMA division and any potential contenders who might be eyeing his throne:

“Do you think that you have an advantage against me? I’ve already out-thought you, and I’ve already paid attention to you. And you know, I’ve been stalking your social media for the past year and a half. So I already know you, and hopefully, you get to know me a little bit better. 

“If you’ve watched my last fight, I’m a magician. I’ll change things as quickly as possible against you.”

Jarred Brooks Breaks Down Potential World Title Challengers

With Jarred Brooks now sitting atop the strawweight MMA division, which athletes is he watching closely?

One of them, says Brooks, is surging Filipino slugger Jeremy Miado, who’s won four straight fights, each by way of spectacular knockout.

With that in mind, “The Monkey God” would welcome “The Jaguar” as a World Title challenger:

“You have Jeremy Miado. He’s really good. He’s tall, has great boxing, got his wrestling a little bit better too, and his jiu-jitsu is not bad. So I think Jeremy Miado would be a good matchup.”

Brooks would also entertain an immediate rematch with Pacio, and he has a venue in mind if that fight is made.

On May 5, 2023, ONE Championship will hold its first-ever event on United States soil when it touches down for ONE on Prime Video 10 in Broomfield, Colorado.

And after battling the Filipino in his territory, Brooks would love to run it back on home turf in front of a raucous American crowd.

He said:

“If they wanted to give Josh a rematch, that’s perfectly fine. So it’d be a good story. I went to the Philippines for him and his own country. He comes to the United States on May 5, and fights me in my home country. That’d be cool.”

Beyond Miado and Pacio, the strawweight king also gave a nod to #4-ranked strawweight contender Gustavo Balart.

But for now, Brooks isn’t particularly threatened by the chasing pack, as he’s beaten the top three contenders and is confident that the toughest opponent is already behind him.

“The Monkey God” added:

“You know, you got Gustavo Balart. That dude’s like 4-foot-11, but he’s like a mini Hulk. But at the same time, I feel like I would beat those guys, decently easy. Joshua Pacio was definitely the toughest fight in the division.”